The Brazen Bride (Black Cobra Quartet, #3)

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The Brazen Bride (Black Cobra Quartet #3)

by Stephanie Laurens (Goodreads Author)

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 1,395 ratings · 109 reviews

USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Laurens adds a dynamic, sweeping tale to her extraordinary adventures.

They're bold, courageous, resolute . . . ex-officers of the Crown united against a deadly traitor known only as the Black Cobra.

Shipwrecked, wounded, he risks all to pursue his mission--only to discover a partner as daring and brazen as he.

Fiery, tempestuous, a quee...more

Paperback, Large Print, 618 pages

Published June 29th 2010 by HarperLuxe (first published January 1st 2010)

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May 15, 2010 Ashlyn Macnamara rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm not the sort of romance reader who claims to skim love scenes. I like love scenes. I anticipate them. But I also like for there to be a build-up to them. I like to savor the sexual tension between the hero and heroine. This book skips all that and heads straight into the bedroom. Chapter one on (or at least as far as I read, which was halfway through) contains a love scene.

Scratch that. This is sex, pure and simple, because the hero and heroine don't even know each other before they jump in...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Samie Kauchis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was the best so far, though I couldn't help hearing a dramatic—dun, dun, duuuuuun! at the end. Followed by an announcer's voice proclaiming, "Where is Carstairs? Will the Black Cobra succeed in stopping him? Will the 4th and final Missive make it to English shores? Tune in next time to find out!" Fortunately, I have the 4th book in hand, so it's not as gut wrenching as it could be. :)

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Aug 28, 2010 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

It's Laurens, so you know she had fun with her thesaurus (except when it comes to the word "brazen" which was used a ridiculous number of times). Linnet is a seriously awesome heroine and her pairing with Logan makes sense. If it weren't for pretty much the entire second half of this book, I would have liked it a lot.

After Logan Monteith is struck in the head by the mast of a merchantship (and lives, somehow), he washes ashore on the island of Guernsey, where he is discovered by Linnet Trevissio...more

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Jun 25, 2010 Stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, historical

I must admit that I’m not all that intimately acquainted (pardon the pun) with romance novels, so I was quite excited when the lovely Harper Collins Australia offered to send me a review copy of best-selling Australian romance author Stephanie Laurens’ new book. While Laurens’ name is certainly one I’ve heard before, The Brazen Bride is the first of her novels I’ve read. It’s the third in the Black Cobra quartet (the first two books being The Untamed Bride and The Elusive Bride), but rest assure...more I must admit that I’m not all that intimately acquainted (pardon the pun) with romance novels, so I was quite excited when the lovely Harper Collins Australia offered to send me a review copy of best-selling Australian romance author Stephanie Laurens’ new book. While Laurens’ name is certainly one I’ve heard before, The Brazen Bride is the first of her novels I’ve read. It’s the third in the Black Cobra quartet (the first two books being The Untamed Bride and The Elusive Bride), but rest assured that it can easily be read as a standalone—although it may help to have some proficiency with remembering character names.

The book opens in the middle of a fight-scene (full of exciting things like dirks and cutlasses, no less), during which a young man is dangerously wounded and tossed overboard. As luck would have it, he is discovered by devastatingly beautiful and devastatingly independent Linnet Trevission, wealthy landowner and savvy businesswoman. Linnet takes exceptionally good care of her ward—so good, in fact, that the pair somehow manages immediately to have sex even whilst our thus-far nameless chap is out cold on the bed. Regaining consciousness in the morning, and pondering a certain vivid dream, the young man finds that a nasty bump to his head has robbed him of his memories—all he knows is that his name is Logan, and that he is on a mission of unknown purpose to an unknown destination.

The book moves a little slowly for the first few hundred pages, it must be said, with Linnet slowly coaxing Logan back to health and attempting to help him regain his memory. (And all this in between rather frequent bedroom encounters—the time management-related wonders of a television-free world!) Both Logan and Linnet are fighting their emotions, knowing that investing in a relationship would require each of them to relinquish, well, power and freedom, and it’s this tug of war that comprises the first half or so of the book. To be honest, there’s a certain amount of tedium here, as after Linnet’s tenth mention of her fears of giving up her landowning ways, it’s rather difficult not to yell at her that you understand, you really do, and that there’s no need to keep banging on about it. Speaking of banging on about it, the frequent sex scenes, also don’t really add much to the narrative, as there’s a certain lack of sexual tension given that the characters leapt in to bed so easily in the first place. A slow build-up here might have helped with the lagging pacing during this first half of the book.

However, in the second half of the book, things really do pick up, although they do require a good deal of suspension of disbelief. The olfactory delights of a home-cooked curry lead Logan to suddenly recall that he’s an East India Company cavalry officer charged with delivering an incriminating piece of evidence as soon as humanly possible, and all of the sudden he’s off and ready to swashbuckle (yes, I do think this is the most appropriate verb to describe his actions). At this point, we suddenly find out that Linnet is also the owner of Trevission shipping, and also an experienced sailor and ship’s captain. And that she owns a pair of fashionable leather breeches. There’s quite a bit of action from this point on, with all sorts of assassins and cultists and incestuous baddie brothers filling up the pages. It’s all extremely silly, but really quite a lot of fun.

However, Laurens’ characterisation seems to suffer a little towards this latter end of the book, as we’re introduced to a whole cast of characters from the previous books in the quartet (and from what I can tell, previous related series). There’s a degree of similarity about all of the characters: they are essentially all forthright, modern women who don’t subscribe to the politics or social norms of the day, and large-shouldered, strong men who despite their admirable masculinity, treat their wives as equals (in 1822, no less). I can’t help but feel that The Brazen Bride would have been stronger without the inclusion of these characters, who are really all mirrors of Linnet and Logan without any notable traits of their own. It’s a shame, as for all its silliness, the second half of the book would otherwise have gone a long way to mitigating the slower first half.(less)

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Feb 05, 2013 Stacy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Brazen, indeed! This was definitely not your typical Regency chase and woo--instead, bam! we fall instantly into the bedroom scenes and they then comprise a good portion of roughly the first half of the book. On the one hand, it's nice to see a bit different approach, but on the other, I have to say it does lose a lot in the romance department (i.e. it's the build up that's the important part, not the actual consummation). The second half then falls into the typical rhythms that we expect for th...more Brazen, indeed! This was definitely not your typical Regency chase and woo--instead, bam! we fall instantly into the bedroom scenes and they then comprise a good portion of roughly the first half of the book. On the one hand, it's nice to see a bit different approach, but on the other, I have to say it does lose a lot in the romance department (i.e. it's the build up that's the important part, not the actual consummation). The second half then falls into the typical rhythms that we expect for the Black Cobra series--lots of running/chasing/fighting/evading of cultists in the race to reach Wolverton. I can happily say that this is the first Laurens book I've read where the hero is not fighting tooth and nail against admitting he's in love (instead, he fights tooth and nail against admitting he's a bastard, a point which, of course, would clear up all the emotional angst between the two of them instantly IF ONLY THEY KNEW WHAT THE OTHER WAS THINKING. But of course, open communication would be just silly...) The "virgin queen" references got quite repetitive after awhile, but I quite liked Linnet overall.

Anyhoo, we're now set up for the fourth and final letter to hit the shores of Jolly Ol' England, complete with yet another accidental woman in tow...

(view spoiler)(less)

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Sep 10, 2012 Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, england, romance

This installment was a nice change of pace though the coupling scenes were excessive in quantity and rapid succession; it did make the story drag a bit. The heroine more than holds her own and already situated as such (whether in reality, she would have been able to do what she did is another matter but you really aren't given the time to dwell on it). Yes, you do have the typical couples angst faced with each installment but the intrigue and suspense is still engrossing. And we are getting clos...more

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Jul 13, 2010 Jennie rated it 2 of 5 stars

The only thing that saved this book from a one start rating was the last 1/3 or so of the book. I'm not sure what happened to this series, but I can't begin to say how disappointed I was in this story. The first 1/2 of the book added little to nothing to the story, and was a definite shift from an action romance to essentially almost erotic romance. The last 1/2 of the book got back to the series story: eluding the Black Cobra. It almost felt like Ms. Laurens only had 1/2 a book worth of story t...more

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Jul 11, 2010 Carolyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: laurens-stephanie

This is the third book in Stepanie Laurens' "Black Cobra Quartet." The first two books, "The Untamed Bride" and "The Elusive Bride" were riveting, entertaining and full of "edge of your seat suspense." I cannot say the same for this third installment of the series.

The storyline follows four ex-Crown officers on a hair raising mission to travel from India to England, each carrying proof in the form of a scroll, that would name and condemn an English aristocrat who has been terrorizing India in hi...more This is the third book in Stepanie Laurens' "Black Cobra Quartet." The first two books, "The Untamed Bride" and "The Elusive Bride" were riveting, entertaining and full of "edge of your seat suspense." I cannot say the same for this third installment of the series.

The storyline follows four ex-Crown officers on a hair raising mission to travel from India to England, each carrying proof in the form of a scroll, that would name and condemn an English aristocrat who has been terrorizing India in his bid for wealth and power. Only one of the officers carries the original, seal embossed scroll, while the others are decoys carrying copies. Somewhere along their trip, each of our heroes acquires a lady companion (albeit reluctantly); hence, the romance aspect. The Cynsters and the infamous "Spymaster" from "the Bastion Club" series, along with his English spies, all make appearances here. I always love catching up with characters from other series to see how life has unfurled for them and it was fun re-visiting such unique and interesting characters as the Cynsters and "Daziel" aka "the Spymaster" and his rogues from the previous two series.

However, this third book, "The Brazen Bride," was a huge disappointment. Ms. Laurens is known to have a heavy hand with the "sex scenes" in most of her books, but this book proved too over the top for me. The very first liasion comes on page 20! Ah, can we at least set up the characters first, please, before you have them jumping each other? I could have dealt with that but for the fact that this "activity" occurred constantly until page 172! It was only then that the original storyline from the previous two books picked up and the chase was on. It was then that the promise of a suspense filled book, complete with twists and turns set up in the previous two books, came to fruition.

Having read the teaser for "The Reckless Bride" at the end of this book introducing the fourth and final cliffhanger of "The Black Cobra Quartet," I do have hope that it will fulfill the promise that was fully realized in the first two books in this series. I can confidently recommend the first two books in this series ("The Untamed Bride" and the "Elusive Bride") as gripping, hell bent for leather, hold on to your seats, exciting reads. I cannot say the same, unfortunately, for this third book for the reasons stated above. (less)

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Mar 11, 2013 Mel rated it 3 of 5 stars

I did like this book. And I think it had to do with independant women, even in a time when the goal is to get married and have children, the female lead-- Linnet-- essentially ran the town she lived in. She was captain of her OWN shipping line and she just took what she wanted, commanded it. I think I could connect with her because I'm a control freak like her. But in terms of love and relationship, we're constantly battling letting a man take care of us, but maintaining our independance while a...more I did like this book. And I think it had to do with independant women, even in a time when the goal is to get married and have children, the female lead-- Linnet-- essentially ran the town she lived in. She was captain of her OWN shipping line and she just took what she wanted, commanded it. I think I could connect with her because I'm a control freak like her. But in terms of love and relationship, we're constantly battling letting a man take care of us, but maintaining our independance while at times letting go of control.

On a side note, I'm a sucker for nursing a yummy man back to health, so of course, as you begin reading this book, you're introduced to Logan, who is on a mission, and after being wounded, turns up shipwrecked on Linnet's shore. I have to tell you, Logan, is so yummy. I wanted to eat him. During his 'healing' period, he happens to be resting in Linnet's bed, and she needs to sleep too (of course) so while she started off being comfortable with a platonic bed relationship,Logan's body has other plans. Oh yess... Logan "sleep seduces" Linnet... giving her the best sex of her life. UM HELLO!!! YUMMY. You had me at Linnet experiencing herfirst orgasm. HA!!! However, in true Stephanie Laurens' style, she just starts to ramble on and on and on. I really want to call up her editor and say: "What gives? Why do you let her repeat the same thing using the same and different words to say something that could be summed up in 1 paragraph?" *smh* I really cannot understand that. The worse thing about Laurens is that she consistantly writes novels that are all : Man: "You will marry me." Woman:" No I won't." Man: "You will." Woman: "No." Man: "You WILL!" Woman: "OK."

I kid you not. That is how this book, and all of Lauren's books, can be summed up. There is also yummy sex scenes, but sometimes they too drag on and on... So, this book, will only get 3 stars because it could have been 100 pages less than it was. Time is money people. LOL So, yes its good. But be prepared to skim when necessary. On a side note. This book is part of a quartet and I have to state. Its not worth the investment of time or money to read and purchase this set. It really isn't. If you want to know what happens... just email me. :)(less)

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Sep 30, 2010 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the third in the Black Cobra series. I like the series and I like Laurens' writing alot. I read and reviewed the first two for The Book Binge as I am this one. This is a very, very good book--almost a five star for me--loved the heroine who was a classy, gutsy, sassy, sexy, take-charge kind of woman by right and by necessity. She was the leader of her community on Guernsey, the owner of a shipping company and the only woman of her time to be a ship's captain. Hero Logan Monteith is an Al...more

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Jul 10, 2010 Kindaangelic rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 27, 2011 Jody rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: guilty-pleasure, library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 26, 2010 Bree rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, regency

The instant and constant sex scenes that hung just this side of the line of erotica romance, combined with too-modern language and actions, made it hard to focus on character development or buy any real relationship, frankly. And when you combine it with an overly- capable heroine and amnesia, the first half of the book was tedious and ludicrous. I almost gave up but soldiered on to keep up with the Black Cobra plot, which redeemed the second half, barely. At this point I'm glad it's only a quar...more

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Aug 08, 2010 Mandy Glover rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, black-cobra-quartet

The third in the Black Cobra quartet, Laurens totally redeemed herdelf over the second installment with this one. I liked that Logan was the strong Alpha, but knew when to concede to Linnet when necesarry. Heartily looking forward to the fourth and final book of the series.

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May 13, 2013 Kay Bolton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kay by: Historical Romance Fans

Review taken from my Blog back in September 2010:

Oh, how absolutely well named, Linette Trevission definitely was brazen, wanton even! When fate smiled on her in a very strange way indeed, and dropped a dark haired fallen angel (Logan Monteith) badly injured and unconscious in a cove that she owned in Guernsey. She treated him, warmed him up, and when is memory returned, assisted him in taking his vital evidence onwards to England.

A second book in the Black Cobra Quartet, and some really unexpec...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Peggy N rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historic-fiction

This is the third book that I have read by Stephanie Laurens. From the first pages it was full of adventure. Sometimes the plot swirled in so many directions at once that it challenged the reader's mind just to keep up. I enjoyed the romantic interest between Logan and Linnet. The heroine in this book for once is an independent woman with her own means, it was interesting that she could also captain a ship and wield a sword as well as run a household and in fact, also was able to manage an entir...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Patty rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, india, fiction, romance, historical-romance, great-britain, guernsey-island, black-cobra-quartet

Whether for good or bad, I read some other reviews before writing my own. I guess I am not a purist when it comes to romance novels. As long as I get a good yarn that takes me away from my present stresses, I am happy. I don't worry too much about if the story fits the time period. (I have often thought that if romance authors were really worried about the time period, they would be very concerned about having all their characters run into one another. I think we have overpopulated the era.)

So,...more

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Jul 08, 2010 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 14, 2013 Cristina Contilli added it

LETTO IN TRADUZIONE...

A causa del fatto che suo padre è morto nel 1813 nel pieno della guerra dell'inghilterra contro la Francia e soprattutto contro Napoleone Linnet isola, una nave e una lettera di corsa... abituata a comandare in quello che considera il suo piccolo regno non vuole sposarsi per paura di perdere la propria libertà, ma non ha fatto i conti con Logan che tra inseguimenti e battaglie riuscirà a farle cambiare idea...

LA FRASE CHE MI HA COLPITO:

"Sei tu la donna che desidero e non vo...more

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May 08, 2012 Helene Harrison rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-historical, setting-regency, i-own, author-female, genre-romance, 2010s-publication, setting-european, setting-british, genre-erotica, format-paperback

I think this book gets let down compared to The Untamed Bride and The Elusive Bride because it's a lot less about the action of the Black Cobra and a lot more about the romance. Even though the books are essentially Regency romances, this quartet should be as much about the Black Cobra as about the romance. However, I do love that the heroine is so different in this book than the previous two - she's not a 'typical' woman but the captain of her own boat, not a typical society miss. I think the w...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Rachel Rogers rated it 3 of 5 stars

Enjoyable, suspenseful, fun (at times). I like the characters and seeing all the various teams coalesce. However, there are plot holes developing in this series. Or at the very least issues in logic. For instance, when the cultists attack Linnet's ship as it crosses the Channel, had they been attacking every ship that made the crossing from any island or from France? How did they know it was the right ship? Other issues arise in Logan's recovery timeline and his abilities immediately after being...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Heather Tisdale rated it 3 of 5 stars

If the book hadn't spent the first half being sex-ed 101 I might have given this one 4 stars. I loved that the female character was capable and competent. All the ways she manages to surprise Logan...they were great. I'd love to talk about them, but that would spoil the fun. I enjoyed the plot and adventure in this one, but was a little put off by her brazen commands for Logan to prostitute himself for his care. Readers would be pissed if the genders were reversed, so I can't find delight in the...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Judith rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book was hard to finish because it was so bad. Stephanie Laurens wrote nine books about a group of bachelors who decide to marry. The books were funny, some were suspenseful,others were romantic.

They were very popular, so Laurens continued writing about the same characters. The problem is, she went to the well once too often. The book is filled with sex, with a very weak story line to hold it together.

She needs to find new characters and new plots. She isn't that bad a writer, she needs to...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good Book. Didn't feel like it was a good as the first, but better than the second. Couple things I gotta say:

1. OK, glad they didn't get into deal about the relationship between (view spoiler)

2. Wow... I think the author made up for the intimate scenes in this one... seemed like there were a lot at the begining.

3. Glad she included the previous relationships int his book... the end would not have been the same.

4. Gosh, I love books where this is a mystery going o...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: did-not-finish

I have to admit I didn't finish this one. UGH!! The heroine, with her "I'm the boss and I won't be questioned" attitude drove me crazy. She compared herself to Queen Elizabeth taking care of her subjects and that was fine. But to purposely put their relationship in the "prostitution" category for her heart was beyond irritating. No really strong, capable woman would subject someone else like that because she would be used to fighting that all her life. OK, I'm done ranting. But I do wish I could...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Dawn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, romance, library

The best of Quartet.

This is book 3 of the Black Cobra Quartet, though I ended up reading it last. I think I would have been happier with The Reckless Bride if I had read this first as there was a spoiler in the 4th that was less 'ha ha look what I've been keeping from you' with the info from this novel in place.

This is the story of Linnet, the 'virgin' queen of her island community and Logan, the bastard son of an Earl and courier for the scroll damning the Black Cobra. The book opens with Logan...more The best of Quartet.

This is book 3 of the Black Cobra Quartet, though I ended up reading it last. I think I would have been happier with The Reckless Bride if I had read this first as there was a spoiler in the 4th that was less 'ha ha look what I've been keeping from you' with the info from this novel in place.

This is the story of Linnet, the 'virgin' queen of her island community and Logan, the bastard son of an Earl and courier for the scroll damning the Black Cobra. The book opens with Logan on the high seas fighting 3 assassin's during a storm and then promptly falling overboard and being smacked over his head to result in amnesia. I felt this allowed Stephanie Laurens to concentrate on building the love story between Logan & Linnet for the first third rather than being consumed with the mission & mystery of the Black Cobra Cult.

Linnet is an engaging strong woman and I had a much easier time believing her taking an abnormal female role given her history than other Luarens' heroines. Logan was a pretty standard cut with less of the personality of Rafe or Devil, but for all that he was a pleasant hero.

This book balanced the mystery and showcase of the Black Cobra movements well against the tapestry of the journey and love of Logan & Linnet. I found Logan's desire to keep his bastard status hidden annoying, but it was a small flaw in an otherwise great love story.

I think I'm one of the outliers on this as I prefer more sex than not (hence my trend toward paranormal romance) so I'll admit the sex scenes are heavier here than in most regency novels.

Additionally Spoilers for Reckless Bride Ahead (view spoiler).

Format note: There were a lot of strange line breaks and odd comma placements in the Kindle version.(less)

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Jan 30, 2012 Rowena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review

So this is the third book in the Black Cobra Quartet and it follows Logan Monteith. Logan Monteith's ship is shipwrecked and he washes ashore where a bunch of kids save him and bring him to the home of the lady of the land, Linnet Trevission who nurses him back to health.

This is one of those amnesia stories and if you know me, you know that I'm not a fan of these. I think this accounts for the reason it took me so long to read this book because I kept putting the book down after every other page...more So this is the third book in the Black Cobra Quartet and it follows Logan Monteith. Logan Monteith's ship is shipwrecked and he washes ashore where a bunch of kids save him and bring him to the home of the lady of the land, Linnet Trevission who nurses him back to health.

This is one of those amnesia stories and if you know me, you know that I'm not a fan of these. I think this accounts for the reason it took me so long to read this book because I kept putting the book down after every other page. Amnesia stories make me nervous. I hate the falling out that usually comes with the memory returning to whoever lost their memory to begin with (Until You by Judith McNaught anyone?) and though I'm happy to say that there wasn't a falling out like that in this book, I do have to say that this is my least favorite book of the three that came out so far.

My issues with this book stems with the heroine. She was too perfect for my tastes. She was the lady of the land, so she knew how to farm, she knew how to sew, she knew how to do every bloody thing under the sun and she could still do so much more. On top of everything she could do, she was this saint who took in orphaned kids and gave them a home in her house. She went above and beyond the call of duty to take care of her people. Her only black mark was that she wasn't a virgin. In those times, that was a big black mark but because I'm a modern gal, it wasn't that big a deal to me.

The other thing that pissed me off about her was that she treated Logan while he was there. Not the taking care of him but because he was a prideful man, he wanted to earn his keep. Help out since he couldn't afford to pay his way since he couldn't remember exactly what he did for a living and blah blah blah. He mentions this and she's like, okay well pay me in sex. The way she throws this in his face when his honor demands that he stops their liaisons made me want to punch her in the face. She doesn't do it all the time but the fact that she did it at all made me not like her.

Logan was a good, stand up hero though. I mean, he wasn't perfect but at least he knew he wasn't perfect. He tried to be good for the most part but he's a man in love and sometimes he did stupid things for which I forgave him because he wasn't like Linnet. He had some deep feelings for her and everything he did for her was out of love and while she shares those same feelings with him, her actions of the past (the whole sleep with me as payment for me keeping you alive and feeding you and blah blah blah) left a bad taste in my mouth that I never quite forgave her for. It tainted all of the good she did throughout the story.

At the beginning of the book, we got a lot of Logan and Linnet and not a lot of the whole cultist stuff. Daniel and Alex are brothers, correct? Half brothers but still they share the same father, right? Those two had a relationship that just did not sit well with me. To be frank, it was gross. Watching those two over the course of the book turned my insides and showed me just how evil they are in regards to the whole cultists things.

A lot of the black cobra cultists things are getting to be repetitive if you've been reading the series from the beginning so the retelling of Del and Gareth's missions was a bit tedious but I didn't exactly hate this book. I just didn't like it as much as I liked the others. I very much enjoyed both Gareth and Del's book but every time I get to the cultists things, I want to breeze over that because I already know what happens.

So this is what I have to say on this book. It's good. I'm glad that I read it and I cannot wait for Rafe's book to come out at the end of the year because holy goodness, I'm anxious for it. There was good stuff, there was bad stuff and I still want to read more.(less)

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Jun 03, 2011 Jessi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, part-of-a-series

Finally! Some wonderful editor got Laurens to quit the "inner" crap. Every book since Giles and his wife has had an inner self, or an inner beast, or an inner siren, or some such crap. It got so that she was referencing the "inner" at least once a chapter. Really, really annoying.
Major Logan Monteith, with three friends, is battling against a dark force known as the Black Cobra that has been terrorizing the people of India. The found a way to break the cult with an indiscriminate letter and now...more

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Nov 06, 2010 Debbie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a big fan of Stephanie Laurens but I have to admit I have not been impressed with this Black Cobra Quartet series so far. They are not horrible but not up to the standards of her earlier books.

The Characters

I liked Logan as he fit the mold of all of Laurens other heroes. He was sweet and kind under the hard core of a tempered soldier and he was meant to be with an unconventional woman. My main problem was with Linnet. Yes, I get Laurens was going for a strong, unconventional woman who does...more I am a big fan of Stephanie Laurens but I have to admit I have not been impressed with this Black Cobra Quartet series so far. They are not horrible but not up to the standards of her earlier books.

The Characters

I liked Logan as he fit the mold of all of Laurens other heroes. He was sweet and kind under the hard core of a tempered soldier and he was meant to be with an unconventional woman. My main problem was with Linnet. Yes, I get Laurens was going for a strong, unconventional woman who does her own thing but it just went too far to even be somewhat believable. First, she is a single woman taking in orphans left and right which I was ok with. Then you find out that she has actually had 3 lovers even though she’s never been married. A little out there but ok. Then the fact that she takes in a strange man, Logan, who at the time had no memory of who he was and somehow it was common knowledge he was in her bed. Yet no one bats an eye lash because apparently they all look up to Linnet as their leader. This was a bit much to me because I don’t care how competent a woman is you know this is bound to raise eyebrows during this time period. Then it gets stranger and stranger as you find out she is captain of a ship, can find with a cutlass, fought in the war, was accepted as such in all ports in England and France. That just crossed the line for me. I cannot imagine in any context that she would be accepted by this male dominated society in that manner no matter how competent she is.

The Romance

The chemistry is definitely there between Logan and Linnet but again parts of the romance were hard to swallow. Logan is obviously a man of honor and I found some of his actions at odds with his character. There was one love scene in particular that I found pretty unbelievable as he makes love to Linnet in his sleep. Come on! Really? You would think he would wake up at some point during the action.

The Storyline

The storyline was not bad once you accept the fact that somehow Linnet was this Amazonian woman that could fight right along side with the men and best them in battle strategy. I have to admit my favorite character was actually one of Logan’s comrades driver. He never plays a huge part but when he does appear I had to smile. This book definitely starts giving more insight into the Black Cobra and the siblings who masterminded the whole group. That was probably it’s redeeming quality.

All in all not that great a book and I’m glad I already read the next one because after this one I don’t know if I would have continued the series. I did find the fourth book to be an improvement.(less)

like · see review

Nov 06, 2010 Debbie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I am a big fan of Stephanie Laurens but I have to admit I have not been impressed with this Black Cobra Quartet series so far. They are not horrible but not up to the standards of her earlier books.

The Characters

I liked Logan as he fit the mold of all of Laurens other heroes. He was sweet and kind under the hard core of a tempered soldier and he was meant to be with an unconventional woman. My main problem was with Linnet. Yes, I get Laurens was going for a strong, unconventional woman who does...more I am a big fan of Stephanie Laurens but I have to admit I have not been impressed with this Black Cobra Quartet series so far. They are not horrible but not up to the standards of her earlier books.

The Characters

I liked Logan as he fit the mold of all of Laurens other heroes. He was sweet and kind under the hard core of a tempered soldier and he was meant to be with an unconventional woman. My main problem was with Linnet. Yes, I get Laurens was going for a strong, unconventional woman who does her own thing but it just went too far to even be somewhat believable. First, she is a single woman taking in orphans left and right which I was ok with. Then you find out that she has actually had 3 lovers even though she's never been married. A little out there but ok. Then the fact that she takes in a strange man, Logan, who at the time had no memory of who he was and somehow it was common knowledge he was in her bed. Yet no one bats an eye lash because apparently they all look up to Linnet as their leader. This was a bit much to me because I don't care how competent a woman is you know this is bound to raise eyebrows during this time period. Then it gets stranger and stranger as you find out she is captain of a ship, can find with a cutlass, fought in the war, was accepted as such in all ports in England and France. That just crossed the line for me. I cannot imagine in any context that she would be accepted by this male dominated society in that manner no matter how competent she is.

The Romance

The chemistry is definitely there between Logan and Linnet but again parts of the romance were hard to swallow. Logan is obviously a man of honor and I found some of his actions at odds with his character. There was one love scene in particular that I found pretty unbelievable as he makes love to Linnet in his sleep. Come on! Really? You would think he would wake up at some point during the action.

The Storyline

The storyline was not bad once you accept the fact that somehow Linnet was this Amazonian woman that could fight right along side with the men and best them in battle strategy. I have to admit my favorite character was actually one of Logan's comrades driver. He never plays a huge part but when he does appear I had to smile. This book definitely starts giving more insight into the Black Cobra and the siblings who masterminded the whole group. That was probably it's redeeming quality.

All in all not that great a book and I'm glad I already read the next one because after this one I don't know if I would have continued the series. I did find the fourth book to be an improvement.(less)

like · see review

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About Stephanie Laurens

Stephanie Laurens was born in Sri Lanka, which was at the time the British colony of Ceylon. When she was 5, her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where she was raised. After continuing through school and earning a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in Australia, Laurens and her husband moved to Great Britain, taking one of the last true overland journeys from Katmandu to London.

Once in London, Laurens and...more

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The Brazen Bride (Black Cobra Quartet #3)

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